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Moto X: Everything We Know Just Before Thursday’s Unveiling

With the Moto X going all sorts of official this Thursday, August 1, we thought it was time for another round-up of all we think we know about Moto’s new flagship phone. And yes, we’re calling it a “flagship” even though the specs are thought to be somewhat mid-range because we’d be surprised if Motorola doesn’t by all means consider this to be on-par with the One, Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5. They wouldn’t have taken out an entire full-page ad in several massive newspapers, let Eric Schmidt run wild with it in front of photogs, bring it up on stage at D11, or reportedly have prepared a $500 million marketing budget for it if they didn’t think what they had created was nothing short of awesome.

Design

That is the Moto X in both white and black. It has leaked left and right, including through a previously mentioned photo shoot with Google’s Eric Schmidt. He sported the white version with black face, but since the phone can be customized on some level, you could potentially choose how you want both the front and back to look. The press renders of the white and black versions are likely the stock models headed to carrier stores.

In terms of build, the most recent rumors suggest that the phone will come equipped with “Moto Magic Glass,” a single layer of Gorilla Glass which is molded to a special polymer to make for a continuous surface that wraps around the entire front and edges of the phone. There will be a zero gap construction, allowing for a smooth and seamless feel along the backside. Last, the Moto X may feature a laminated aluminum structure for a light weight and high strength design.

If all of this pans out, it could be one of the best feeling and looking devices of the year.

Specs

On a spec front, we have what we believe to be the entire spec list thanks to a variety of leaked benchmarks. As I mentioned above, the spec list isn’t going to blow your mind if you are concerned about numbers. Motorola has done some tweaks to the processor in what they are calling their X8 Computing System. X8 uses a modified Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core processor, which has been tweaked to help the phone power select areas in the device – some that require always-on low power, others that need more juice for bigger tasks like gaming. The battery life should greatly benefit by this new system.

The rest of the specs match up to most of the current smartphones on the market, outside of the display which only weighs in at 720p. Most high-end phones in 2013 use 1080p panels, but Motorola has done some interesting things with the panel they are referring to as a “Motorola OLED.” It has areas that can light up by themselves without powering on the entire display to show things like on-screen notifications. The 720p panel should also help reduce battery drain.

Software Goodies

Thanks to a leaked Rogers video and the announcement of the new DROID line-up on Verizon, we know a handful of the new software features that will accompany the launch of the Moto X. we know that the phone will show you notifications on-screen, rather than through a notification light. We know how the camera works. We know it’ll always be listening for your voice commands. And we know it’ll have a way to “zap” photos to other devices nearby. To see most of these new features in action, hit up our DROID hands-on videos here and here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOWIKmWpVO8[/youtube]

Carriers

The Moto X is going to all of the major U.S. carriers. We don’t know the specific time of launch for each just yet, but FCC approvals at least give us proof that it will be on Verizon (XT1060), AT&T (XT1058), Sprint (XT1056), US Cellular (XT1055), and T-Mobile (XT1053).

Release Date and Price

There currently is not an announced in-store date for the Moto X. The device will be announced and unveiled on August 1, that much we know is true. August 23 has been tossed out as a possibility for an in-store launch (on Verizon), and I would have to admit that that seems likely. I know that a rumor came out over the weekend suggesting that the device could arrive as early as this week, but I’m not ready to buy into it. That sounds amazing and all, however, Motorola isn’t showing the phone to press until this Thursday, so making the phone available the same day or the next makes almost no sense. If anything, we could see a pre-order come Thursday or Friday, but that’s speculation on my part. Hopefully, I’m wrong and we can all buy it at the end of this week.

In terms of price, there are rumors that think we could see the phone for as cheap as $300 off-contract, while my mind is starting to wonder if it’ll be priced like other high-end phones at $199 on-contract and $599 off through carriers. The reason I bring up those prices is because the new DROID phones sit at those numbers and feature almost identical specs and features to the Moto X. We know that Motorola wants prices to come down far below those typical $600 and $650 off-contract price points, but I don’t know if they are ready to do it just yet.

Thursday can’t get here fast enough. We’ll be on hand in NYC for its unveiling – be sure to keep close.

If Motorola-Google is willing to sell the phone for just $300 off-contract, then there is nothing that Verizon can do to stop you so long as there is a CDMA radio inside. Unless I’ve been living a lie, carriers do not control the un-subsidized price of phones (*cough* Nexus 4). And because we saw the Nexus 4 drop in at just $349 for 16 GB of storage, I would be willing to bet that we will see more or less of the same. In my mind, it will probably be $300 for 16 GB since the screen on the Moto X is not quite as good as the Nexus 4.

I still don’t think I will get this phone regardless, but I think we are all cheering for Motorola to make a huge splash back into the smartphone world. LET’S GO, MO-TO!

mule0331

Im not sure why everybody feels its a step backwards in specs. It’s got 2 dual 1.7 processors, plus another low power quad core chip. Tasking each of the 8 cores with different things vastly cuts down power consumption, making it smoother and more efficient. Its running the latest GPU, so I dont get all the negativity?

juanjeremy2012

they have to sell this for cheap, it doesnt have much going for it otherwise with those specs

juanjeremy2012

that isnt a $599 phone with those specs. this is looking more and more like a dud

Justin Larmay

This sounds to me like this is going to be pretty similar to the ultra in specs just with a different look and on screen keys.

Sacrifist

You wonder how much Moto had to compromise with Verizon in exchange for limited bloatware. Higher on-contract price? Probably. Locked bootloader? Likely. Exclusive release window for the new Droid line before the X drops? Hopefully not, but possible.

I think, though, that some people are underestimating how much this phone may have cost to make. If the screen is truly OLED and not AMOLED, that’s new to smartphones. The polymer the Gorilla Glass is bonded to may well have taken some development. I have no idea what kevlar costs, but I would assume it is more than plastic. New CPU/GPU arrangement and subsequent optimization? Takes time and money. Don’t forget to weigh the cost of American labor for assembly.

I’m getting less and less optimistic that this will be a low-priced phone off contract. But the more I read about it, the less I care – it looks like a hell of a device. If Thursday’s reveal confirms even 75% of it, even if it’s $199 on contract, This is my next.

Neil Fujiwara

What I don’t get is how this phone won’t cannibalize a good portion of the Droid lineup either way? It either is going to be cheap enough to be the “IPHONE DESTROYER” or it will be the take up the same price point as a DROID Ultra…

okamsrazor

I am trying to figure out what everyone is “excited” about. This is as disappointing as the new Droid line up. My RAZR MAXX HD has the same screen, a dual core CPU and SD card plus HDMI. I have owned the OG Droid, Motorola X, Droid RAZR, and now the Droid MAXX HD. All I see is several steps backward in their 2013 designs. The sad part is I am now more excited for the next Samsung release then my beloved Moto. 🙁

16GB storage is a deal breaker for me…I have a 32GB GS3 and a 32GB card…my kids take a few videos = DONE! haha…LOVE the look though

needa

there is supposed to be a new photo of the green moto taken at the google event. anyone know where to find it? ill keep hunting, but this is my third stop.

NyReynolds

Maybe I missed it in the article but do we assume this has a locked bootloader? I’ve heard rumors that it won’t have one, but is there official word?

NyReynolds

Maybe I missed it in the article but do we assume this has a locked bootloader? I’ve heard rumors that it won’t have one, but is there official word?

NyReynolds

Maybe I missed it in the article but do we assume this has a locked bootloader? I’ve heard rumors that it won’t have one, but is there official word?

Justin W

Nothing is confirmed, but I suspect the unlocked versions and versions through T-Mo, Sprint will have unlockable bootloaders with “developer editions” available for AT&T and Vzw with the option available.

Justin W

Nothing is confirmed, but I suspect the unlocked versions and versions through T-Mo, Sprint will have unlockable bootloaders with “developer editions” available for AT&T and Vzw with the option available.

Justin W

Nothing is confirmed, but I suspect the unlocked versions and versions through T-Mo, Sprint will have unlockable bootloaders with “developer editions” available for AT&T and Vzw with the option available.

Kevin Guinn

I think it’ll be priced high through carriers but cheap when purchased through Google play similar to the nexus 4.

Kevin Guinn

I think it’ll be priced high through carriers but cheap when purchased through Google play similar to the nexus 4.

Kevin Guinn

I think it’ll be priced high through carriers but cheap when purchased through Google play similar to the nexus 4.

needa

word is, from a guy that knows a guy that went to the google thing a week ago, that it will not be sold through google play. even worse… they guy made it a point to mention that this phone is not priced for off contract folks.

Bionlc

Per Sarge, Moto X to be unveiled August 1!

Bionlc

Per Sarge, Moto X to be unveiled August 1!

Bionlc

Per Sarge, Moto X to be unveiled August 1!

drewfus0929

They aren’t doing anything new with their OLED technology, that Samsung doesn’t already do with their smartcovers (lighting up only part of the screen that shows through the cover window).

Kenton Douglas

Does the Samsung architecture have lower powered companion cores to manage notifications (wake/sleep states) like the Moto X is supposed to have? If not, then they are somewhat different – even if the screen tech (partially lit OLED) is the same. No?

Volcom

I am so pumped for the Unveiling on Thursday!

Larry Bublitz

Any guesses on wireless charging?

Jake

Pogo pins.

Trevor

Haha that would suck. Because you know there would not be any pogo accessories for at least 6 months, if they show up at all.

Cowboydroid

Pogo accessories = unicorns and pots of gold at the ends of rainbows.

jh123416

I’m guessing the downvote came from one who does not appreciate pogo pins.

Tyler Durden

this is how it works

Benneth

Now, the most important question… Will there be a custom Viva Movil skin for the Moto X, sold exclusively at Viva Movil, for Viva Movil clientele?

Floyd

If this phone is $300 off-contract. I am selling my DNA and buying this phone.

imnotmikal

There are quite a few banks that will take your DNA. I hear they’re a bit cold though.

Tyler Durden

i hope

jb

the GS4 already knows when your horny…but it places an order for this instead..

No Micro SD slot? Wow. Seriously, who the hell would want a phone with only 16GB of storage? Oh right, casual folks.

PASS!

SGS4, HERE I COME!

Jordan

The biggest trade-off when I switched to my Galaxy Nexus two years ago was the fact that it didn’t have a microSD slot. I lived without the MicroSD slot for almost 2 years before I found an offer on a brand new S4 for only $400.

I don’t want to feel anxiety knowing I’m close to full storage capacity on my device. That’s why I have an 16GB S4 w/ 64GB microSD.

If the MotoX is under $400 with a 32GB option, I may downgrade from an S4 to the Moto X. I’m willing to sacrifice specs for a great dev community and price.

pappy53

If the optimization is true, then it wouldn’t be a performance downgrade from the S4.

Trevor

Lack of SD slot is the biggest hangup for me right now. And the price.

how is Verizon going to sell this without impacting their new Droids? I realize it’s not branded Droid, but it’s Moto, and it seems as though the specs are close to the Ultra, right? I just don’t see how this fits into the VZW lineup…..?

Jordan

You’d be surprised at the inexperienced customers that show up to Verizon Wireless just because it’s time for an upgrade. Those sales reps can confuse, persuade, and convince those customers into buying any phone in stock. I hate when customers purchase a phone based on its appearance first. That’s the reason Apple sells so many iPhones (because of its sexy design). I wouldn’t be surprised if a Sales Rep at VZW sold a HTC Thunderbolt on a 2 year contract for $200 to a noob.

sk102704

I work with a woman who is locked into a Droid 2 until August 2014!

Cowboydroid

The HUMANITY!

King Lo

They’re not going to advertise it and sell it only online.

Justin W

I disagree with that – Vzw won’t advertise it, yes, and it won’t get it’s own “area” like the Droids and iPhones do, but it should still be available in the store.

Fozzybare

it will be right next to the blackberry z10

Fozzybare

it will be right next to the blackberry z10

Fozzybare

it will be right next to the blackberry z10

Kenton Douglas

Maybe $150 in-between the Mini and Ultra?

donkeykong85

$199 16gb and $299 32gb off contract will make this phone of the year.

Kenton Douglas

$199 off contract doesn’t work because:
1) how does Verizon sell the new Droids?, and
2) it undercuts all OHA OEMs. How does that benefit Google?

Larry Bublitz

Well, maybe the GSM variants will be cheap.

Tyler Durden

If this is a contract phone and $600 off….They were right. Moto is dead.

cheezer88

Maybe, the 500 million is google subsidising the phone so we all get them cheap as [email protected]! Because, it’s all about getting on the internet when you sell ads, on the internet.

Justin W

That 500 million is advertising and marketing, not subsidizing the phone. Likely, Moto is building this device around a cost of $150-$200 and selling it on very little profit.

cheezer88

i know what it says. it’s all just a play on words. you call it cheating, i call it research. I have yet to see an advertisement for this phone, outside of this website. They are spending their money else where.

King Lo

You don’t readily advertise a phone that hasn’t been released yet. Any mindshare you gain fades because people forget / stop caring over time.

It can also have a rebound effect and become negative if something happens that delays the release.

Justin W

They will advertise it, in fact, they already have – it’s been advertised on Twitter (@Motorola’s background image), full-page news print in some newspapers, etc. They’ve likely begun soft advertising (changing background images for websites, newspapers, in-store marketing products sent to wireless retail locations) already, and will begin hard advertising next week or the week after with TV ads and such.

Justin W

They will advertise it, in fact, they already have – it’s been advertised on Twitter (@Motorola’s background image), full-page news print in some newspapers, etc. They’ve likely begun soft advertising (changing background images for websites, newspapers, in-store marketing products sent to wireless retail locations) already, and will begin hard advertising next week or the week after with TV ads and such.

Justin W

They will advertise it, in fact, they already have – it’s been advertised on Twitter (@Motorola’s background image), full-page news print in some newspapers, etc. They’ve likely begun soft advertising (changing background images for websites, newspapers, in-store marketing products sent to wireless retail locations) already, and will begin hard advertising next week or the week after with TV ads and such.

TripleIonia

So, this is a comparable screen to my current GNEX right?

Greyhame

Better if the rumor it is non-pentile is true.

Justtyn Hutcheson

It should be leaps and bounds above your GNex.

jnt

I tried out the camera .apk on the S4. Yes, I realize it’s a different framework, phone, software, etc… but taking shots was very slow and the picture quality wasn’t great. Hopefully it’s faster on the actual X… has me worried that Moto hasn’t changed their ways and simply added more megapixels and an updated UI.

Render

That should speak to the hardware/optimizations inside the Moto X if the camera application was “slow” on top end specs…

DJ SPY

$500 off contract is my guess. If there is a 32 gig version… $450 16gig $500 32 gig

needa

thats a pretty realistic price in my opinion. but from what i am hearing… its gonna be a bit higher. five hundred is my cap for immediate buy. otherwise i will wait on the reviews to make sure this is the phone i want to replace my gs2.

DJ SPY

I just hope it’s not as ridiculously high as the Droid Maxx ($700+ tax off contract!

Butters619

If they release a 32GB version for $350, I am in 100%. If not, I’ll wait until December for the next Nexus.

TechnologyIsMyName

See here’s the thing: Google is not going after top end specs to wow the crowd with just specs alone. They are actually going after something much bigger than that… they are trying to change the history of the current smartphone trend. What do I mean by that? Think about it: By having a nice phone launch with a $200-$300 price point without a contract (and possibly $100 or less with a contract) they would be making history right there.

People are finally starting to realize and getting real tired of having to pay $500-$800 to buy a new smartphone without a contract since more and more people are going to the side with no contracts now. Most high end smartphones only require about $100-$125 to produce, and the manufacturers will sell them for the $500-$800 without a contract… that’s a crazy profit for them and a crazy rip off for the consumer per phone sold! This new thing Motorola and Google are doing with the Moto X Phone is a great thing. They are trying to show all the phone vendors that you can sell a great smartphone without having those crazy high jacked up prices and are trying to teach them to stop being so greedy and ripping off the consumers. Once they achieve this goal I’m almost positive that Google and Motorola will then start to spit out some true high spec devices like they do with the Nexus line with these newly established price points.

Google’s Fiber gigabit network is also working on making history for the cable/internet world. They are trying to make the cable companies step their game up and stop jacking up the prices and offering so little in return. Cable companies are just as greedy and guilty of ripping the hell off the consumers as smartphone vendors and wireless companies are. It’s good to see Google step into both the cable/internet service world with Google Fiber, and now the smartphone vendor world with the Motorola partnership to stop these companies from pulling this crap. There is no reason for these companies to charge you 1000% more than they should for very little in return. Google is my hero! Taking down these bullies one at a time. It will take time, but Google is the one company that can do it!

bionicwaffle

I’m not wanting top specs. I think 720p at 5″ and under is just smart/efficient. I also think dual core with an adreno 320 is smart. I just hate seeing Google stick with on-screen buttons and I hate seeing Google/Moto drop things like MicroHDMI and MicroSD. I’m not blaming the on-screen buttons on Moto since the new Mini, Ultra, and Maxx are not plagued with them.

I still think it could be a good device for the masses and sell great. It’s also smart for Moto to finally have the same device on all US carriers.

TechnologyIsMyName

I think that the Moto X Phone is for them to test the waters with just like the Motorola Xoom, as it was the first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet ever a few years ago. It was also partnered with Google at the time as well to make it the first real Google tablet. I had the Xoom when it came out day one so that’s why I feel it is the same concept.

Once Google makes their point I’m sure their next devices in line will have some of those missing features that you would like to see resurface. Google’s Nexus line is always launching with new crazy high specs and features, and I’m sure they will then start to apply that with Motorola in the near future since their first official phone together is the Moto X. That’s the power of Android: You get devices with all shapes, sizes, colors, features, and specs for everyone to find a device they enjoy the most.

crazed_z06

We all remembered how awesome the Xoom was! That thing really took Android tablets to the next level!

Vanquishgc

Still have a 4G Xoom myself as does my roommate, and we still love the damn things! Don’t get me wrong, a Nexus 10 would be great, but for what I use my Xoom for, it’s still a perfect tablet for me. I DO wish it were a tad faster, but outside of that, it’s great for movies on the go if I have them loaded via SD card.

TechnologyIsMyName

You got it! That’s how I feel about the X Phone. I feel it may be the same story since they are extremely similar types of situations.

kali bred

Im pretty sure they dropped the hdmi because of chromecast so you wouldnt be lugging around another cable…makes sense i mean a good hdmi cable will cost you maybe 40$ and the chromecast is only 35$ and can do more

Justin W

“A good HDMI cable will cost you 40$”

You are buying your HDMI cables at the wrong place. I get braided cables of amazing quality and 6ft length from Amazon for less than $10. I actually have a 25 ft one that I got for $25 bucks a while back that works well also.

ChaseCrewDad

You can do even better at Monoprice.

Justin W

I’ve heard about them but haven’t looked into it. I’ll check them out though, thanks!

Justin W

I’ve heard about them but haven’t looked into it. I’ll check them out though, thanks!

Justin W

I’ve heard about them but haven’t looked into it. I’ll check them out though, thanks!

kali bred

Yea it was kind of a stretch i actually got mine for about 15$ i only said that because i sell them at work and they’re 30$ and up and ppl still buy them (insert reading rainbow gif)

kali bred

Yea it was kind of a stretch i actually got mine for about 15$ i only said that because i sell them at work and they’re 30$ and up and ppl still buy them (insert reading rainbow gif)

Justin W

Yeah. I don’t understand people – almost everything is cheaper online, and I always shop around before I buy something. That’s how I came across the gold-mine that is online HDMI cables.

kali bred

Its amazing how i talk ppl into buying them tho or certain phones for that matter lol

Justin W

The general public is un-informed, and it’s their fault for not researching it. One web search can save hundreds of dollars on HDMI cables over several years!

TechnologyIsMyName

I agree with that actually. It makes perfect sense. With the introduction of Chromecast, HDMI out ports on Android devices will nearly become mostly just a hassle/obsolete. We’ll see as time goes on as to how it pans out. I personally like the idea of an OTA wireless solution like Chromecast, instead of running a physical cable from the device itself to the TV. The Chromecast is a new product and I’m sure they will introduce more features in later releases to make HMDI out ports even more obsolete for phones and tablets. The world is going wireless.

Justin W

I think it’s more of how Chromecast progresses – once we’re able to fully mirror via Chromecast, it will likely be pointless to get an HDMI out, but there will be some who want them for other purposes until then.

Justin W

I think it’s more of how Chromecast progresses – once we’re able to fully mirror via Chromecast, it will likely be pointless to get an HDMI out, but there will be some who want them for other purposes until then.

TechnologyIsMyName

Agreed! That’s why I mentioned it’s a new product and will most likely introduce new features in the future releases… such as full mirroring of your screen just as HDMI out would do. Until then, HDMI out still has the benefit there in full screen mirroring, at least for now anyways until Chromecast evolves as you mentioned. They are simply just testing the waters with it for right now to see how it does before releasing new features to the public.

TechnologyIsMyName

Agreed! That’s why I mentioned it’s a new product and will most likely introduce new features in the future releases… such as full mirroring of your screen just as HDMI out would do. Until then, HDMI out still has the benefit there in full screen mirroring, at least for now anyways until Chromecast evolves as you mentioned. They are simply just testing the waters with it for right now to see how it does before releasing new features to the public.

Justin W

I think it’s more of how Chromecast progresses – once we’re able to fully mirror via Chromecast, it will likely be pointless to get an HDMI out, but there will be some who want them for other purposes until then.

kixofmyg0t

$40 for a HDMI cable?!?!

You sir need to know about MonoPrice.com

bionicwaffle

I bought my MicroHDMI to HDMI cable on amazon for about $6.00 including shipping.

ChromeCast has a long way to go before it can handle all apps, let alone games. The big down side of ChromeCast is there will be processing and memory overhead associated with using it. That could make it not work with some or many games on some or many devices. With a cable, you just plug it in and you get perfect audio and video.

Don’t get be wrong. ChromeCast is awesome! I think it’s a great new option for slinging media around and the fact that it already has experimental desktop support is also huge. I just think MicroHDMI still has it’s place.

The sad thing is because manufacuers were not smart enough to standardize on MicroHDMI we now have MicroHDMI, MiniHDMI, MHL, Samsung MHL, and Slim. I think that’s part of the reason a device like ChromeCast was needed – besides the fact that wireless is nice:)

DJ SPY

Everyone seems to forget to factor in the cost of R&D, marketing, employee cost, licensing and a lot of other things when they say “it only costs them $50 to build the phone but they sell it for $1,000.00!!”

joejoe5709

I really want to like this phone, but I’m having a hard time. I want to trust them that taking a step back in specs will still equal a stellar phone. And most importantly I have a feeling this is the closest to a Nexus we’ll be getting this year at Verizon. :-/ So it better be good.

Charlie R.

Still say there’s no way this phone is available for $300 off-contract on Verizon. No way. They will not undercut the new Droids. Kellex alluded to this in the last paragraph.

MichaelFranz

i would love to to see this not released on carrier, but carrier compatible….meaning they woudl sell it out of like google play or moto.com and then you pick you customization and carrier of choice and they send you the device. i dont think carrier would liek the fact of having to sell an unlocked device off contract for only $300 and not make any profit…unless they only make black and white readily available at carriers.

i just dont see verizon saying “hey look here, droid ultra specs in a different style phone with no kevlar, no blur, and unlockable, LTE aaaaaaand off contract price equivilant to that of a 2 year contract droid maxx”. then again they have carrier specific model numbers so who knows…thursday will be interesting.

Justin W

Not released on a carrier is the same as carrier unlocked, and it does happen all the time. The problem with it is that Vzw, Sprint, USC, and other regional carriers still use CDMA technology and that is not open-sourced like GSM. LTE is a part of the GSM standard (not sure how, but I know it’s an advanced version of GSM), so when Vzw and Sprint (ha!) and other CDMA companies switch to full LTE, they will be able to take phones that are unlocked with the correct feature set.

Mvrcel Lgt

+300$ would be too much for this piece of hardware…if you are motorola =/ They need something as cheap as a “nexus4” to hit the market once again.

Eric R.

Verizon needs to let OEMs handle software updates and they need to stay out of it.

Ben Schoon

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Verizon

The good side of me completely agrees with you. The bad side of me strongly disagrees with you and wants to eat your soul.

Rumors suggest there will be one, but we have yet to see one in the wild.

bionicwaffle

Here’s what I know:
– It will have the same defect as Nexus devices, no MicroSD
– It will have on-screen buttons that waste dynamic screen real-estate during all your game playing, web browsing, photo viewing, and reading.
– It will have no notification LED, miss the screen/Active Display or whatever and you better remember to turn the phone on
– It will have no MicroHDMI port. I’ll have to choose whether I display to a tv or hook up my wireless mouse or charge the thing. Having TV and Mouse or TV and charge is very nice. There’s nothing brilliant about combining a cheesecake and a pizza. I don’t know whey they tried to do that with display and power/data.
– It sounds like it will have a small battery like the Droid Ultra. They should have at least kept it 2600mAh like the Razr HD.

At least it should get updates fast, right? I’m not sure why else anyone would buy this. I mean, sure, it’s better than an iPhone but that isn’t saying much. It sure lowers the bar for Moto in my book.

Bi0nic

Here’s what I know: Wait until it’s officially unveiled to judge this device.

Couldn’t Agree more, we have a tendency to get too far ahead of ourselves @ times.

Render

Sounds like you are changing your tune…did Sarge leak you new information?

Bionic

He is a different person. Notice the zero in his name.

Bionlc

Liar. He is the impostor. I am the real Bionic!

Justin W

I didn’t know there were 3 of you.

Justin W

I didn’t know there were 3 of you.

Bi0nic

I’m the better looking one.

Bionic

So you are just going to ignore my request?

Bi0nic

I already accepted that I’m not going to pretend to be you. Look at my recent comments and you’ll see I’ve followed through. I wanted this name and I’m not going to change it. If anything you should be happy because I just might better your reputation. Take a look at the top voted comment in today’s Chromecast root article and you’ll see people don’t really like you.

Bionic

Interesting…….. Well, thanks for that I guess.

Bionlc

I just want to troll

Mueller

You’re such a loser.

Bi0nic

I’m the better looking one.

Bi0nic

I’m the better looking one.

Bionlc

Liar. He is the impostor. I am the real Bionic!

Bionlc

Liar. He is the impostor. I am the real Bionic!

Bionic

I’m gonna ask you nicely. Is there any way you can change your name? I have a lot of friends on here that you are confusing. Maybe you could use something like “DROID bionic” or something along those lines that does not confuse you with me.

Please? I’d greatly appreciate it.

Project Mayhem

You have “a lot of friends on here”? Wow that’s some good stuff. Just because you have followers it does not make them your friends. Sorry if I come off as a douche but you seriously need to step away from the interwebz more often.

Project Mayhem

You have “a lot of friends on here”? Wow that’s some good stuff. Just because you have followers it does not make them your friends. Sorry if I come off as a douche but you seriously need to step away from the interwebz more often.

Bionlc

I’d also appreciate it if both of you changed your names. Alot of my friends have been having similar complaints. Plus Sarge is getting confused.

Bionlc

I’d also appreciate it if both of you changed your names. Alot of my friends have been having similar complaints. Plus Sarge is getting confused.

Bionlc

I’d also appreciate it if both of you changed your names. Alot of my friends have been having similar complaints. Plus Sarge is getting confused.

Chris Schmucker

I feel like i’m the only person that enjoy’s the real Bionic. Droid-life’s resident troll/informer. There can only be one. At least he makes the comment section somewhat interesting occasionally.

Mike Hilal

Your first two posts are completely asinine. MicroSD’s are slow as crap, I dont care if you cant store ALL of your music on your device at the same time. If you have that many apps, there is no way you use them all at once. OSK dont waste any viewing area in 99.9% of apps, the keys disappear until you need them. Browsers have full screen modes. Video playback hides the keys.

bionicwaffle

I have the on-screen buttons on my Maxx HD. They absolutely do waste screen real-estate in every app. Some apps it doesn’t matter. Some it’s just annoying. Why on earth have a 4.7″ display if you can only use it as a 4.5″ display? They never go away except for some full-screen video. Never during photo viewing, never during games, never during any reading apps I’ve tried, and never for web pages. “Full Screen” modes in browsers and other apps don’t use the space occupied by the buttons either. At most the buttons do hide but the space it never used by other apps or even photos. Only some/most full screen video.

Mike Hilal

Chrome gives 100% full screen browsing. What games do you play (that are worth playing on a phone) that NEED the area where the osk are?

Maybe it’s an issue with blur, but AOSP allows for full screen web browsing when you select it, video viewing whenever videos are playing. Photo viewing, I dont mind the keys…esp since the photos are cropped/condensed anyways.

Go get a POS capactitative button droid ultra and stay stuck in 2009

bionicwaffle

I use Chrome. No, it doesn’t use that space at the bottom. Nor does photo viewing. I’ve tried other photo apps and none do. Yes, they’re scaled down on that display but if the aspect ratio matches I want to see them fill the screen and they can’t. My very young kids think a lot of games are worth playing on the phone and besides wasting screen real-estate they bump the on screen buttons all the time since there is no separation from the actual screen.

needa

the moto has transparency option on the navbar.

Malcolm Love

I believe the Active notifications come up every so often or something like that too.

MB

Does it make any sense to assume that, even though the DROIDs are comparable in specs to the Moto X, the Moto X price (off contract) could be lower since the DROIDs are Verizon-exclusive? (In other words, does Verizon charge extra simply for the DROID branding and, if so, could the Moto X be cheaper than them since it’s not officially a “DROID?”)

Justin W

Yes, it’s possible. The G-Nex was $349 when Google announced they’d be selling it through Play last year (granted that was the GSM version). Adding a CDMA radio and removing a GSM radio doesn’t cost $200-$300.

But adding an LTE radio does indeed add quite a bit of cost, which the GSM Nexus didn’t have. Take the new Nexus 7 for example. The LTE model is $80 more expensive than the non-LTE version.

I really hope they find a way to sell this phone cheap, but I’ve been a part of too many Viva Movils over the years. If it’ sounds too good to be true, it usually is heh.

Come on, Moto! Do us right!

Mikey Styles

I have a personal feeling they want to do what’s best but lets be honest here, Providers are all about profit margins(especially VZW & ATT) so a device sold to them @ a cheap price($299-$349) is totally possible with price hike of $50-$100 added on top of that. I just can’t see them allowing Moto to dictate the bottom line profits.

Heck I could be wrong but we’ve heard this sorta story for how long now?? My only exception would be T-Moible & even then that’s a long shot. *Fingers Crossed*

Justtyn Hutcheson

The MSRP determines retail price, period. The OEM has full control. Carriers really don’t care about device sales, they usually lose a ton of money on them. They care about service, which is where they make their money. If the OEM wants to run razor-thin margins, why should Verizon care, as long as their service is the one providing the connection?

Mikey Styles

Would rather not get into it or argue but, as we all know for a fact these devices don’t cost $500-$700 to make & sell. Not to mention carriers don’t buy them @ that ridiculous of a mark-up themselves from an OEM. They add mark-up like any car dealership does just not ridiculously or on the same scale.

You do have some good points as they do tend to loose money & normally don’t care about sales of a device. There are just many more factors as to why this happens, #1 would be non-payment of service that gets terminated.

Either way I really hope to see device pricing come down if we are ever going to get away from subsidized pricing models.

Mikey Styles

Would rather not get into it or argue but, as we all know for a fact these devices don’t cost $500-$700 to make & sell. Not to mention carriers don’t buy them @ that ridiculous of a mark-up themselves from an OEM. They add mark-up like any car dealership does just not ridiculously or on the same scale.

You do have some good points as they do tend to loose money & normally don’t care about sales of a device. There are just many more factors as to why this happens, #1 would be non-payment of service that gets terminated.

Either way I really hope to see device pricing come down if we are ever going to get away from subsidized pricing models.

Mikey Styles

Would rather not get into it or argue but, as we all know for a fact these devices don’t cost $500-$700 to make & sell. Not to mention carriers don’t buy them @ that ridiculous of a mark-up themselves from an OEM. They add mark-up like any car dealership does just not ridiculously or on the same scale.

You do have some good points as they do tend to loose money & normally don’t care about sales of a device. There are just many more factors as to why this happens, #1 would be non-payment of service that gets terminated.

Either way I really hope to see device pricing come down if we are ever going to get away from subsidized pricing models.

SeanPlunk

The Nexus 4 has an LTE radio, it’s just disabled. That would seem to prove that an LTE phone can be done at the $299/$349 price point. The price is everything for the Moto X and needs to be $299/$349 IMHO.

SeanPlunk

The Nexus 4 has an LTE radio, it’s just disabled. That would seem to prove that an LTE phone can be done at the $299/$349 price point. The price is everything for the Moto X and needs to be $299/$349 IMHO.

Greg

How VZW handles this release will really help me decide if I’m switching to a new carrier or not. If I’m going to lose unlimited data, I mind as well be on a carrier that will get the latest and greatest from Google/Moto/etc.

Bi0nic

If you want the latest and greatest you might as well go to AT&T. They seem to be getting a lot of exclusive device launches and keep in mind that unlocked devices work on their network…though they probably won’t have LTE access.

Justin W

There are unlocked devices that can access their LTE (see the HTC One US Unlocked version). I don’t know about the Moto X, but I would assume the unlocked version would have an LTE radio with several US bands in it if Moto wants it to be a true competitor vs. other unlocked devices.

Greg

That is probably the best answer, I just need the final push. It would also require me to break my wife’s contract and pay her ETF.

gadget_hero

I know their have been FCC docs for all the different carriers, but is their any chance they could have one device with all those bands or at least one for AT&T / T-mobile and another for Verizon / Sprint / US Cellular?

Verizon and AT&T try to lock everything down these days. I don’t know for sure, but I’d expect there to be an unlockable version, hopefully sold through Google Play. But then that will only work on ATT and T-mo, screwing VZW customers once again.

spunker88

I imagine the Tmobile and possibly even Sprint versions will have unlockable bootloaders. In the past Sprint’s Photon Q was unlockable and international versions of the Razr have been unlockable as well.

Its basically been only At&t and Verizon Motorola devices that have had their bootloaders locked in the past year.

gp126904

Hopefully if VZW does lock it down Moto will allow you to unlock it via their unlock site.

Justtyn Hutcheson

Here’s to hoping that you can purchase the Verizon version direct, customized, and will be fully unlocked. Motorola should be getting some serious kudos from Verizon by being their exclusive DROID manufacturer moving forward, so with those (fully locked) Motorola devices to push, why should they care if the “step child” (to them at least) Moto X is unlockable?

Of course, I say that and then we see the Verizon GS4 bootloader unlock bounty up to $4k……

OneForTheGoodDays

I think this comes pretty close to being a “nexus”…

Geekdad

What will really disappoint me is if they release this now and then introduce another unit with more storage in a few months. I can manage my data to keep it under 12GB, but I hate having to do so.

Jake

Moto X StoreMaxx

Justtyn Hutcheson

I doubt this very seriously. They probably still have neck pains from the backlash over the Razr/Maxx debacle (Lord knows some people around here won’t let them forget).

They learned that it is best to release your devices at once, and then spend the next 9-12 months making something even more awesome.

Dfigs23

Please be the phone that is affordable, unlocked, smooth UX, and is available off contract for Verizon that is going to keep my Unlimited Data.

Ben Schoon

Would be awesome!!!

Mike

Probably the only way I could personally get it. Cheap unlocked phones that are good that Verizon actually releases are hard to find…. Actually up until this point I don’t think there is one!

speraider430

I would love this phone at $300 but I am growing more and more suspicious that it will actually be $199 on contract and $600 off

Ryan Hansele

Ya it doesnt make sense honestly. Why would Verizon offer you a great quality handset at $300 keep your unlimited data and stay out of contract? I hope so but doesnt seem very smart from a business standpoint. Look at the Nexus 4 its $350 from the play store but $549 MSRP from T-Mobile.

deadpenguins

Maybe they’re expecting more people to just see the discount price tag (say if it was $99) and not look at retail value. That way, if it’s $300-350 Verizon will have to pay a smaller difference to Moto as opposed to the DROID phones, and therefore take more of your money. I’d be shocked if more than 10% of smartphone buyers would even look at it from this point of view.

Matatat

I don’t see why they would have a problem with it when the buyer is paying full price but still paying the carrier the monthly subsidy cost. It seems like a win win.

Xeneize480

Keep in mind the retail price does not come from vzw or any carrier comes from manufacturer. Just like LG did with Nexus 4. Carries only for $200 because they pay the difference. If this phone comes to be $300 off contract maybe vzw will do $0 at 2 year contract. Also think about it not every one is like DL readers that will spend money on new phones. Most americans are cheap and want everything free.

wolfedude88

Yeah but look what the Nexus 4 off contract on Tmobile us to be, it was $499, so just because on the play store it was cheaper the carrier sold it for more.

So it worries me if it will be that price in a carrier store

RockMarz

wrong..its 199 off contract

RockMarz

except for verizon..lol..then its 399

Ron_Swanson

It is a fail in my book if it’s 199 on and 600 off.

jamaall

my guess (a hopeful one) is $149 on conract, $550 off

Tyler Durden

Verizon is going to pull a Shark/11 and hijack it and charge a higher price.

Verizon

Stop giving away my plans!!!!!!!

Tyler Durden

…

Verizon

Odd, we have that same image on our corporate letterhead.

Tyler Durden

I love you

Verizon

Ummmm, I like like you…….as a friend.

Tyler Durden

are you sure

Verizon

Ahhh, we at corporate have special contacts to counteract the hypnotic suggestions of our sales reps. This is child’s play.

I think that’s incorrect.. I know he will do anything for love, but he won’t do that. No, no, no he wont do that

Verizon

Have you heard his version on “Oops, I did it again”? He already did that.

Brandon Golway

His name was Robert Paulson, His name was Robert Paulson, His name was Robert Paulson…

ReturnOfTheMack

Your stores will be seeing a lot of me if there are a turkey sandwiches on launch day.

ReturnOfTheMack

Your stores will be seeing a lot of me if there are a turkey sandwiches on launch day.

Verizon

I can’t speak about the sandwiches due to NDA, but I can say there will be a lot of turkeys.

Verizon

I can’t speak about the sandwiches due to NDA, but I can say there will be a lot of turkeys.

Verizon

I can’t speak about the sandwiches due to NDA, but I can say there will be a lot of turkeys.

Kenton Douglas

Bit harsh. I don’t remember anyone form last year having anything like the X8 Compute architecture, with the contextual and speech cores.

ImmaDroid

Not really, because I remember 720p displays and Dual core S4 processors being last years technology. It makes a big difference when you go up a step, only to get a new device that went back a step in few main components. All the X8 Compute Architecture is like me turning off power save mode on my Galaxy S4 when I want to play a high end game. Dont get me wrong it will be a great device, and nice looking. It was ways to pinch penny’s. If Google was able to do a low priced high res, quadcore device like the new Nexus 7, I think Moto could of thrown those in as well

Render

Except that it is likely Krait 300 cores versus regular S4 Pro Krait cores (which did not exist last year)…sure its dual core (same cores as the S600), but that doesn’t matter when you start offloading some of the serious heavy lifting (speech recognition/audio processing/image processing/etc) away from the main application processor. This will allow for increased stability, and prevent sensor malfunction/race conditions/hanging from locking up the application processing. Instead of focusing on specifications, Motorola is focusing on user experience and addressing the subtle lag with optimizations in both hardware architecture and software…two domains that android is often critiqued.

Did you ever think that in testing they saw that quad core was simply not worth it in Android? Better yet, they got guidance from Google that quad core was not necessary for future proofing? It is after all a lower resolution/smaller screen.

I think you will be surprised (in a good way) come Thursday…this phone likely still has some revealed secrets that the Droid line did not contain…

ImmaDroid

I think its a compelling argument, but in reality im sure your being somewhat more supportive in Moto’s favor by sticking up for the fact. If Google had it’s say in that the Dual Core S4 pro would be better for Android, then they would of went the same route for the Nexus 7. Again I truly believe that it was due to getting a good price on those chips, since now orders for them have drastically reduced since all the new 600 & 800 lines are being ordered. They want to keep the price down, and that was a way to do it, as well as go for a lower res screen.
But I do believe that the processor will perform extremely well in the phone, because if it was the same/similar processor in my Galaxy S3, I can not complain on performance. I actually am missing my Galaxy S3 now that I sold it and bought an S4 the other day (good price off contract only +$40 on what I sold my S3 at). So again, I know it will perform just fine. I just don’t think it’s future proof with everyone moving towards higher end games for higher res screens and optimized for quad core processing

guest

it is s4pro and has same GPU as all other high end devices out there (s4 and htcone). This is not using some old tech. please stop counting numbers of cores that doesnt mean anything for actual user experience.

ImmaDroid

If 4 cores compared to 2 cores made no difference there would be no such thing, new gaming computers would still be running dual core processors, not quad core, 6 core, etc.. The GPU plays its major roll of course.
But If the Gpu is the same in the S3 and S4, and the amount of cores make no difference, then how can I see an feel a big difference while playing games like NFS most wanted from those two devices? Its obviously not the GPU as you say doing it since its the same. Sure the detail helps from the screen, but the lack of lag, smoother and faster motions, etc. Im sure the processor is lending a helping hand in that fact. No?
A quad core processor at 1.9ghz will process applications better than a dual core at 1.7ghz. Unless the application is only optimized for 2 cores. I know jack ish about computing, gaming, processors, and whatever else. But still, this is an understandable concept for even me. With better games and applications coming out, yes the number of cores and types of processors make a difference. If I can notice a difference, then the actual user can since thats me.

Yousef

The snapdragon S4 in this is actually a dual core Snapdragon 600 THAT IS UNDERCLOCKED. The reason that it’s not called the S600 is because it’s at 1.5 whereas the threshold for being an S600 is 1.7ghz. That explains why it runs better than the nexus 4 with a quad core s4 pro and the same gpu: Because the Moto X has the Krait 300 found in the S600, and the Nexus 4 has the Krait 200 from the S4 pro.

guest

I dont think the GPU is same in s3 and s4, S3 has andreno 225 and S4 has adreno 320, moto X also has same GPU as , so performance will be comparable to S4.

Kenton Douglas

I think it’ll depend on the architecture of the X8. The leaked benchmarks place it as being faster than the quad core N4. As for the screen, if you can distinguish a material difference between 720p and 1080p on a 4.7″ screen you have better eyes than me. Personally I’d prefer the lower pixel count, which should aid overall performance and battery life. But, each to his own. The “old” specs don’t bother me. Will a 1080p screen be “old” next year? If so, what spec should we expect for screens?
The N7 is part of the perception problem Google have now. Everything needs to very cheap/at cost cost since “they make their money from ad’s” Well ad’s alone won’t support their business forever – that market will become commoditised like every other. They need to diversify their revenue stream. Motorola is part of that. They didn’t invest $12.4B in Motorola to just sell ad’s – there are far cheaper ways to do that.

Dude… everyone can tell the difference between a 720p smartphone and a 1080p smartphone. This is coming from a former-Bionic, former first-gen-N7, current-DNA, current second-gen-N7 owner.

Kenton Douglas

On a 4.7″ screen? I better go and get my eyes tested then – I can’t! 🙂

barbrasmith325

If you think Larry`s story is flabbergasting…, last pay-check my girlfriend’s half sister also brought home $5289 grafting thirteen hours a week from their apartment and there classmate’s step-mother`s neighbour has done this for 3 months and made more than $5289 part-time on there labtop. applie the guide here… http://www.Pro67.com

Brandon Golway

You’re funny….

Mark

Taylor Wimbley over on G+ was answering some comments from his post today and he did mention there will be a few surprises at the event on Thursday. I wouldnt be surprised if the phone does become available right away (similar to the chromecast). I get the feeling the surprises he is referring to has nothing to do with already leaked info/rumors that are out there. I cannot wait for Thursday… btw… what time is the event and will it be available to watch live on youtube?

It’s not really an event. They are doing individual press briefings and have given us an embargo time for whatever it is they show us. Not sure how much I can say at this point, but you’ll want to keep it close are 12PM Pacific.

SmokeNMirrors

I expect to be impressed by the phone and disappointed by the price…

Verizon

You should expect to be disappointed by the phone, angry about the price and furious that you can only get it in pink with orange poka dots. Then, you won’t be that upset with anything that happens Thursday.

deadpenguins

I’m gawn get the the magenta and lime green zebra stripes.

Verizon

That will only work if you are wearing pink cheetah print shoes.

Tyler

Are you sure you don’t mean “You should expect to be disappointed by the phone, angry about the price and furious when you see how many places the Verizon logo can be found on the device.”

Verizon

Nobody should be upset about those 15 logos or the 35 bloated apps pre-installed. They are all for your benefit anyway.

EvanTheGamer

Those specs are not impressive nor is the phone itself.

Greyhame

Haha… says the guy has never held or used the device.

Tyler Durden

but we’ve seen BENCHMARKS!! /s

Eric

The only thing I like is the design.

Eric

16gb? Come on alot of people need more than that.

Jason Downing

Google has to make money somehow… forcing Cloud Services is one of them

Eric

Can’t store app’s in the cloud.

Ryan

More than 16gb of apps? You have a problem.

Eric

Games are getting bigger and bigger in file size every day.

Butters619

Well 16GB becomes 11 useable. Throw on a playlist or two of music and you are down to 5-6GB or so. That’s not a lot of spare.

Ryan

You clearly missed the part where we were talking about just apps. Thanks for your participation.

adbFreedom

The problem you have would be that you like playing Gameloft games. Modern Combat 4 is 1.99 GB alone. 16GB is not close to enough anymore.

Ryan

If you’re that serious into games you should be using a platform for which the games actually excel on. Like a desktop.

adbFreedom

My son enjoys it when I hook my phone up to the dvd player in the truck with the MHL adapter and PS3 controller that I paired through sixaxis app. I can’t do that with a desktop unfortunately. Thanks for your participation 😉

adbFreedom

My son enjoys it when I hook my phone up to the dvd player in the truck with the MHL adapter and PS3 controller that I paired through sixaxis app. I can’t do that with a desktop unfortunately. Thanks for your participation 😉

adbFreedom

My son enjoys it when I hook my phone up to the dvd player in the truck with the MHL adapter and PS3 controller that I paired through sixaxis app. I can’t do that with a desktop unfortunately. Thanks for your participation 😉

LiterofCola

Yep that may be the final nail in the coffin for me.

Oops, was supposed to be a reply to eric

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Earlier Rumors Suggested 2 storage options 16 and 32. Hoping that holds up… but those were REALLY EARLY rumors.

Eric

There is still a chance. Not sure I’ll be interested in this phone though since 720p and dual core processor.

Mike

The 720p doesn’t bother me in the least as it actually helps battery life and reduces GPU strain resulting in a seemingly faster device.

As for dual core processors, the Nexus 10 I’m writing this on only has a dual core processor yet it’s faster than my quad core Note 2. As cliche as it sounds it’s not about how many cores it’s about how you use them.

Eric

I had the Nexus 10 that processor was terrible for games and that screen.

Justin W

I disagree – I had no problems with games that required a lot of processing power (the Asphalt series, HO&C, etc.).

Eric

All I can say is tons of lag and random reboots. Mostly on the GTA games and shadowgun.

Justin W

When I first got it (within a month of release), I had a ton of random reboot issues. Now, I don’t have random reboots at all. The lag, In my experience, was fixed after 4.2.2 and a full reset.

Eric

Hmm I had it up until march and sold it. I might buy the next version if it has a quad core snapdragon.

Tyler

An even better example is the GS4, which is 8-core international and 4 cores in the states. Yet those 4 snapdragon 600 cores are much faster then the 8 core exynos processor.

Butters619

4.7 720p display comes in at 312 ppi. I am more than fine with that, especially if it’s non-pentile.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Think pentile is dead

Butters619

SGS4 is pentile….

With 1080p you can’t tell, but a 1080p pentile display is sort of cheating.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

It’s a different pixel arrangement you can’t really tell

Guest

It’s not pentile, it’s the same subpixel arrangement as the Note II. One long blue subpixel arranged vertically with a green and red subpixel perpendicular to it.

It’s not pentile. It has three subpixels per pixel, but they’re arranged like on the Note II and GS4 Mini. That means one long blue subpixel stacked vertically with smaller red and green subpixels arranged perpendicular to it.

SeanPlunk

It’s not pentile. It has three subpixels per pixel, but they’re arranged like on the Note II and GS4 Mini. That means one long blue subpixel stacked vertically with smaller red and green subpixels arranged perpendicular to it.

SeanPlunk

It’s not pentile. It has three subpixels per pixel, but they’re arranged like on the Note II and GS4 Mini. That means one long blue subpixel stacked vertically with smaller red and green subpixels arranged perpendicular to it.

Ben Schoon

Alot of people do but alot of people don’t…
I don’t need anything more than 16gb and I don’t even use all of it.

Eric

Wow. I used it up in a week on my Gs3 I had to switch it for 32gb. The 16gb only had like 8gb left after software.

Ben Schoon

There’s a massive difference between a bloatware infested phone and a phone with little to no bloatware like the moto x

Mike

I agree with what you are saying. If it weren’t for games that are literally gigs in size I would never probably use more than 5 GB and personally games aren’t that important to me but if I the space I will definitely play them!

Butters619

I said I could make the One X work with 16GB, and while I have it’s been a a pain sometimes. I am often filling it up and having to move things around. I told myself I’d never do 16 again.

Lucky Armpit

Agreed. It’s not that I’m “concerned about numbers” but the fact that 16GB internal storage simply isn’t enough for me. Trust me I’m pretty disappointed that I’m not going to get this phone. I understand that Moto had to cut somewhere to keep the supposed price point low. I would have been okay with that number had the X come with a MicroSD slot (c’mon Googorola… really?) as that’s what my Razr Maxx has and it does me just fine. Pics and music on the 32GB MicroSD card, apps on the internal storage, and I’m happy.

I really think the small internal storage with no MicroSD slot is going to hurt the sales of this phone… most people don’t know (or care) if they are looking at a 720p or 1080p screen while viewing their Twitter feed. But when they can’t snap anymore selfies because they are out of storage space? THAT’S a number a lot of people will be ‘concerned’ with.

cheezer88

i was freaking out about the 16 gb on my N7. its never been an issue. so i can live with a 16gb phone.

Eric

I can’t I use my Phone daily and never used my Nexus 7 and 10 so I sold them.

Justin W

I had used the 16GB Nexus 4 and never had any problems. I stored most of my music locally, and had several games/apps on it (I ended up aroun 6-8Gb of local data). I still had room to spare after adding all my stuff that I needed if I didn’t have a data connection, but everyone requires different things.

SparkysShocker

…

SparkysShocker

…

SparkysShocker

…

Eric

*facepalm*

Eric

*facepalm*

Eric

*facepalm*

Sacrifist

With all the streaming and cloud services, all I really need are the smallish apps to access them, a few games and whatever music I can’t stream/want offline. 16GB is very manageable nowadays.

htowngtr

I will be buying on day 1 if it’s those specs and great battery life on VZW unlocked LTE.

Ben Schoon

Me too if the price is right…

cheezer88

COME ON DOWN!!!!!!!!!

BCoils

so you won’t be getting one… I JK!

Ben

here’s the thing for me:

Even if it’s only $300 OFF CONTRACT, I still want more than JUST 16gb w/ no removable storage. It needs various storage levels. I want 64gb in my phone.

If it was truly ‘customizable’ I’d have the option.

also, I’m waiting for the HTC one on verizon, and I can’t decide between them.

Storage options would be really key, assuming they don’t try to rob you at $100 for each additional 16GB.

Ben Myton

Which brings up an interesting question: What is a fair price per 16gb of additional internal storage?

The 16gb is obviously there to push people to cloud storage (for the benefit of carriers and google alike). If they priced each additional 16gb at $25 there would be almost no motivation for the consumers to buy the 16gb phone.

Eric

Maybe $30 IMO

Justin W

Depending on the amount manufacturers purchase, it can be as low as $5-$10.

Eric

There is NO WAY they will charge $5-$10 for 16gb extra.

Justin W

I know that, I’m just saying that’s what the manufacturers likely pay. If you look at price rates for flash storage, consumers pay as low as $1 with the larger drives. Manufacturers get a sizable discount on that rate, since they purchase in bulk, so that’s my estimate on what they pay.

Eric

Yeah I bet they pay that or less but we are talking about us. I couldn’t care what Moto is being charged I wanna know what I’m being charged.

zachos

It’s $40 for an additional 16GB on the Nexus 7. It would be nice to see something at least in line with that.

I could handle $40, even though that’s still highway robbery. You can buy really nice external storage these days for pennies.

Ben Myton

This actually reminds me; there is a lot of talk about the stagnate size of internal storage, and the loss of microSD slots, but very little talk about USB-OTG.

I could buy a 128gig Thumb Drive + USB-OTG cable for $80, it seems to me that might be a perfectly fine option for larger volume media.

zachos

The only problem with this, in my eyes, is that it takes away the ability to charge your device while accessing the external storage.

Justin W

Someone should invent a Micro-USB hub that can work with OTG.

PhoenixPath

Not many folks want to carry a bunch of accessories around with their phones…with the sdCard, it was part of the phone. OTG works, but it feels hacky and adds to the clutter…

Jake

Options are nice, but when you start talking about USB-OTG and thumb drives, what’s supposed to be a mobile devices suddenly becomes cumbersome if I’m expected to carry around all sorts of attachments and peripherals. Just give me a phone with enough internal storage.

mgamerz

Have you actually used USB-OTG on android? It’s a terrible experience. Unmounting and mounting safely is a pain (tap the cable, and boom, bad dismount). Everytime I’ve used it on my gnex (thought 16GB would be too small), my files on my flash drives/hard disks gets wiped cause something goes wrong.
My galaxy nexus 16GB seems to store like 4GB of music, some apps (I don’t do big games, I have a tablet for that), and I still have like 6GB left.

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

Have to remember it isn’t about the actual cost of the RAM. It’s perecption and not trying to canibalize the lower end model. If there is a 32GB version and it’s only say $30 to $40 more… no one would buy the 16. That’s why double the storage would always cause a $100 price increase in most cases

Justin W

I think a $50 price increase is somewhat acceptable in most cases. Things like a 32Gb option being available with a 64Gb version being $100 more? They are getting at least 300% profit on the price they got that for. I’d be fine with a price of around $10-15 per 8Gb (for an extra 32Gb, you’d pay around $40.)

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

I mean what we consider acceptable may not match up with the profit margins OEMs are aiming for when they do things like that.

And again if the 32GB version is only $40 who’s going to buy the lower end model? Nobody will.

Bottom line is if the 16GB is $300 and the 32GB is $400 the average person thinking about getting this phone won’t blink.

mgamerz

RAM?

Good_Ole_Pinocchio

*typo mannnnnn! internal storage

David Narada Brown

I need at least 32gb. This cloud storage isnt good enough for me. We are bein charged for data that it used to access your files. I have unlimited with Verizon but how long will this last? Im thinking about saving $70 a month and go to str8 talk.

Justin W

You may want to go to StraightTalk, but just remember, it’s going to be difficult to find an AT&T provisioned SIM (they are going for $50+ on Ebay, so you’ll likely be stuck with T-Mo’s SIM and their less-than-desirable coverage). They tend to throttle people who go over their unknown limits (I’ve been throttled for using 1.5GB’s over a month before), so I’m going to switch to AT&T’s GoPhone plan next month where I’ll get defined data limits and the option to purchase more if I want in addition to having LTE access.

David Narada Brown

thanks for the heads up.

Ben Schoon

For $300 off-contract, it could be 16gb and that’s being generous in my opinion…

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